Two adults who rushed Ronald Acuña Jr. and brought him to the ground on Monday night were arrested earlier Tuesday.
Jefferson Gonzales-Merida, 23, and Carlos Rivelo-Paiz, 21, are facing charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace at Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies, police said. A third person, a juvenile, was also cited for trespassing.
While one fan had his phone out, presumably trying to take a picture with Acuña, a security guard rushed in and grabbed the fan, who would not let go of the outfielder.
A fan charges at Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr., #13, as grounds crew detains another person in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. ( Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
Another security guard tried to help by bending down to grab the fan’s legs, but the fan simply would not let go of Acuña.
That was when another fan ran onto the field to do the exact same, and things went awry.
The second fan’s arrival caused more security guards to get involved, which ultimately led to Acuña hitting the deck after tripping over one of the security guards on the ground behind him.
The Braves’ bullpen catcher and other players on the field ran over to check on their teammate as security apprehended the fans.
A fan yells to Ronald Acuña Jr., #13 of the Atlanta Braves, after running on the field and being apprehended by security during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field on Aug. 28, 2023 in Denver. (Tyler Schank/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)
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The second fan was also barking something at the outfielder, and he was putting up a fight as multiple security guards wrestled him off the field.
The outfielder and MVP candidate admitted he was “a little scared” during the ordeal.
“I really couldn’t say anything because, at that point, security was already there. And we were already kind of tangled up. But security was able to get there, and everything’s OK. We’re all OK, and I hope they’re OK,” he said, leaving the situation unharmed.
“You don’t want to see that happen, I know that,” manager Brian Snitker said. “You don’t know what they will do when they get out there. It’s a scary situation.”
“I don’t think they had any ill intentions. I think that was pretty evident early on,” Braves outfielder Kevin Pillar said. “Still, I mean, we have these rules and regulations in place. We’re supposed to feel safe on the field.
A fan charges at Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., #13, as grounds crew detains another person in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
The Braves won that game, 14-4, against the Colorado Rockies, improving to 85-45 on the season.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson and Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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